The present invention is directed to a trailerable combination houseboat/camper units with pontoons.
Houseboats sufficiently narrow so as to need special road permits for trailering (less than 8' 6" wide) are often unstable and more prone to capsizing in water. Adding pontoons makes them too wide for travel on highways during transportation. For a camper to be highway transportable, the pontoons have to be easily removable and storable or moved on top or elsewhere within the apparatus. Moreover, some storage buildings, or entrances to the same, have low ceilings that do not allow for storage of houseboats with pontoons stored on top.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a trailerable houseboat having pontoons that are both easily storable atop the unit during travel utilizing simple pivotal attachments to the houseboat and simple cable means, yet having easily removable pontoons, for example when utilizing the houseboat as a camper on the trailer over ground when no pontoons are needed, or for garaging the houseboat in low-ceiling garages. It is a further object of the invention to achieve these objectives utilizing the structure, lift means and attachment means that are neither unattractive nor obtrusive in the interior cabin.
It is a further object of the invention to allow such an invention to work with most common trailers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a houseboat with pontoons wherein said houseboat has its own main hull providing at least 30% of the buoyancy in addition to the buoyancy provided by the pontoons.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a houseboat with easily removable pontoons wherein the houseboat is as light as possible, and without concern as to the water readiness of all mechanical and inner workings normally used during travel such as wheel bearings, brakes, clearance lights, tail lights, cable lift means, etc. Inasmuch as the instant invention is trailerable, such items are not significantly exposed to the water during use such as is a common problem with amphibious vehicles.
It is a further object to provide a pontoon lift system that not only provides for easily removable pontoons, but does so with a minimum of moving parts and that is quicker and simpler to operate.
Other objects and features of the invention and the manner in which the invention achieves its purpose will be appreciated from the foregoing and the following description and the accompanying drawings which exemplify the invention, it being understood that changes may be made in the specific method and apparatus disclosed herein without departing from the essentials of the invention set forth in the appended claims.